AGENDA:
New assignment as we begin to focus on working online. Please look at previous posts for more ideas about writing poetry, especially the 30-day challenge. And yes, it is National Poetry month, and it is important that you continue to work on your poetry chapbook and your portfolios. Work now needs to be posted on Google Classroom for credit during this time that we are using online learning.
Here is a prose poem by one of BOA's poets, Dan Albergotti. It's a poem about survival, but it's also a poem about hope and being grateful for the life we have.
To do: Read the poem carefully. Answer the following questions with a post on the blog.
1. What images stand out for you?
2. What list/poem would you make for what to do in the days of waiting to "return to normal"?
3. Look at the last line. What are some of the things that are important to remember before we entered "the belly of the whale"?
Things to Do In the Belly of the Whale
Measure the walls. Count the ribs. Notch the long days.
Look up for blue sky through the spout. Make small fires
with the broken hulls of fishing boats. Practice smoke signals.
Call old friends, and listen for echoes of distant voices.
Organize your calendar. Dream of the beach. Look each way
for the dim glow of light. Work on your reports. Review
each of your life’s ten million choices. Endure moments
of self-loathing. Find the evidence of those before you.
Destroy it. Try to be very quiet, and listen for the sound
of gears and moving water. Listen for the sound of your heart.
Be thankful that you are here, swallowed with all hope,
where you can rest and wait. Be nostalgic. Think of all
the things you did and could have done. Remember
treading water in the center of the still night sea, your toes
pointing again and again down, down to the black depths.
Copyright © BOA Editions, Ltd 2008
Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc.
on behalf of BOA Editions LTD.
Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc.
on behalf of BOA Editions LTD.
ReplyDelete1. What images stand out for you?
The image that stood out to me the most was “Be thankful that you are here, swallowed with all hope, where you can rest and wait” because in this time of self- isolation in our country, all we can do is be patient. We need to take advantage of this free time and spend it with our families and practice self-care. Also, this is the time to slow down and look around at all the blessings in your life. People all around the world are struggling to practice social distancing because they don’t have homes, food, or even working electricity. Those who have loved ones who are sick, or who have passed away, be grateful that your family is still healthy.
2. What list/poem would you make for what to do in the days of waiting to "return to normal"?
A list of things to do while waiting for things to “return to normal”:
Binge-watch all the new Netflix shows you never had the chance to
Play board games with your family
Go on walks (bike riding) around the neighborhood or your backyard
Clean your room or re-organize
Catch up on any missing work for school
READ
Facetime your friends
Keep a journal on your feelings during this time
3. Look at the last line. What are some of the things that are important to remember before we entered "the belly of the whale"?
It is important to remember the days when things were normal, before the quarantine. This way we won’t begin thinking this is our new reality, and feeling trapped rather than safe in our own homes.
Thanks, Elani. This is excellent!
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